Town of Halifax, Vermont
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
December 4, 2012
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:35 PM at the town office. Board members in attendance were Edee Edwards, and Earl Holtz. Lewis Sumner was absent. Others in attendance were Jessica Bruno, Margo Avakian, Christina Moore, Orrin Isles, and Cara Cheyette. Edwards acted as Chair in Sumner’s absence.
Approval of Minutes
Holtz made a motion to accept the minutes of the November 20, 2012 regular meeting as written. Edwards seconded the motion with an amendment to change a name spelling on page 3. The motion passed 2-0-0.
Holtz made a motion to accept the minutes of the November28, 2012 special meeting as written. Edwards seconded the motion which passed 2-0-0.
Holtz made a motion to accept the minutes of the December 1, 2012 special meeting as written. Edwards seconded the motion which passed 2-0-0.
New Business
Award Contract for Hale Rd Bridge
The Selectboard discussed scope change issues, permits, and a line item (part #) on the bid. As the town does not have the necessary permits at this point, this issue is postponed to the next regular meeting.
Moore noted a paper flow issue due to Tamburrino’s absence and requested that Bruno forward copies of the following documents to her from now on:
Bid Documents
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Ad Copy
Individual bids from the vendors
Bid Matrix
Motions where bids are approved
Moore also asked the Selectboard to state why they picked a particular vendor in their motions.
Deer Park Bridge
Moore reported that the abutment is finished on the Green River Rd side, so traffic is less impeded.
Discussion regarding designating a town newspaper for advertising
Edwards expressed that Patty Dow did some research and believes that only one newspaper of record is required. Dow has some ideas to deal with the administrative hassles of the Reformer.
Holtz also noted that he could not find a place where you are required to have more than one newspaper. Moore also noted that Newfane has one. No decisions were made.
Reserve Fund Shift
Edwards noted that she had a conversation with Dow regarding the fact that some money that was noted in the town report that needed to go into reserve did not get transferred because of Irene. Dow expressed to Edwards that the gravel reserve is way overspent in post Irene stock-piling. She believes that we spent way more than $25k so there may be no money to shift. Moore expressed that we received $85k in reimbursement from FEMA for gravel that they bought from us that we had or crushed. Edwards noted that there was a similar discussion with Dow regarding re-surfacing. Dow also mentioned that shifting funds into the bridge fund and equipment fund should not be an issue. There was a discussion regarding how to direct/present these cash flows including the reimbursements and reserve funds. This issue will be on the agenda for the December 8, 2012 special Selectboard meeting.
Selectboard Report for Annual Town Report
Edwards noted that the report was due to the auditors December 1, but was not submitted due to Sumner’s absence. Edwards made a suggestion to take the dollar amount out of the budget deficit as we are still working on the budget, and change the wording to note the budget deficit is due largely to Irene payments. Edwards asked Moore if she recalled whether we had a paving grant for Brook Rd before Irene and Moore’s recollection was yes we did. Edwards will speak with Dupuis and see if she wants a draft of the Selectboard report.
Moving the EOC
This topic was deferred as Sumner was not present.
Hearing of Visitors
Moore noted that bridge plaques should be added to all bridges as they tell us the year of construction, designation, and help prove ownership.
Moore presented a resignation letter for her appointed position to the Rescue Inc. board of trustees. She offered to help the Selectboard find a replacement in March when they make their other appointments. Cheyette asked for more information about Rescue Inc. and the position. Moore explained that Rescue Inc is an ambulance service for 15 communities in VT and NH. They run 911, do inter-facility transports of people, provide paramedic intercepts to ambulance services etc. They are funded through town subsidies, bill for service, and some charitable contributions. A candidate for the position would be someone with an interest in public service administration, or a public charity board member who can build endowments. The position requires about 4 hours a month. Edwards accepted Moore’s resignation with sadness and the Selectboard thanked her for all she has done.
Moore noted that Halifax is a candidate for the hazard mitigation grant program. The deadline is February 1, 2013. To apply, we must submit a letter of intent by January 18, 2013 with a brief description of our proposal including total estimated cost. Moore will speak to Rafus and try to compile a project list. Holtz added that he had already spoke with Rafus who was going to bring a project list to the December 8, 2012 special meeting. Holtz welcomed everyone to come to the meeting on December 8th.
Cheyette suggested adding some additional details about the passing of the Halifax Blue Plate at the last regular Selectboard meeting in case some people may not know the history. Tim Putnam chose Christina Moore to be the next recipient of the Halifax Blue Plate in honor of her contributions to Halifax in the wake of tropical storm Irene. The plate is making the rounds from person to person since it was first awarded to Tim Putnam for his outstanding contributions during Irene. Each recipient is free to keep the plate for a while before passing it on to the person of their choice. The Selectboard is happy to participate in that process, but people can feel free to pass the plate quietly if they so choose, neighbor to neighbor. Please pass the registry book with the plate so there is a record of everyone who has been honored.
The Selectboard discussed adding SeVEDS to the next agenda. We are happy to be able to share ideas with them on economic development in our town. The Selectboard would like to limit the discussion to about 20 minutes. Holtz will inquire if they would like to use the projector. Edwards also suggested the Broadband Committee present their census info to SeVEDS.
Old Business
Other Business
Communications/Mail
The mail was reviewed and appropriately filed.
Selectmen’s Order to Town Treasurer for bill payment
The order for payment of bills was completed and signed.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jessica Bruno
Selectboard Secretary